发布时间：2026-04-07
Recently, the paper titled "To Adopt or Not: The Paradox of AR Fitting Technology in Retail Channels," with Professor Wang Zhongbin from the Institute of Systems Engineering at the College of Management and Economics as the corresponding author, was published online in Information Systems Research, a top international journal in the field of information systems.
Paper Link: https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2024.1425
This research was completed independently by four local scholars: Professor Li Yongjian and doctoral student Yao Song from the Business School of Nankai University, and Professor Wang Zhongbin and doctoral student Guo Yanqiong from the College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University. The study focuses on the application of augmented reality (AR), a cutting-edge digital technology, in physical retail settings. Methodologically, the team introduced a queueing game model into AR-driven information systems research for the first time, achieving a critical extension from traditional operations analysis to the context of digital technology, and systematically revealing that AR can both alleviate congestion and improve efficiency, while also potentially introducing mismatching risks due to information inaccuracy. This achievement not only explores the cutting-edge topic of AR technology application but also marks a significant breakthrough by local scholars at the intersection of service systems and information systems.
This paper has received multiple important academic honors, including the Best Student Paper Award at the 16th International Workshop on Behavioral Operations Management (BOM), the Second Prize for Best Paper at the 26th International Conference on Electronic Commerce (ICEC), and the First Prize for Best Paper at the 20th International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM).
Article Abstract
Traditional fitting rooms in physical retail stores often face queuing and service delays, which impair consumer experience. To mitigate this issue, an increasing number of retailers are introducing augmented reality (AR) fitting technology, which diverts customer traffic through virtual try-ons and reduces congestion. However, AR still has shortcomings in accurately replicating real-world fitting effects, which may lead to a mismatch between consumer expectations and actual experiences. Based on this, this paper constructs a queueing game model to systematically analyze the dual role of AR: it can both alleviate congestion and improve information screening efficiency, while also introducing mismatching risks and technological frictions, and characterizes its substitution and complementary effects. The study finds that for fixed-price goods (e.g., luxury brands), introducing AR can achieve a win-win outcome for both retailers and consumers when the market scale is large. Conversely, for variable-priced goods (e.g., fast fashion brands), AR may instead lead to a lose-lose outcome resembling a "Downs–Thomson paradox." Furthermore, simply improving AR technology may even amplify its negative impact, suggesting that managers should prioritize improving system accuracy rather than solely optimizing the user experience.
Information Systems Research is a top international journal in the field of information systems. Published by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) in the United States, it is included in the UTD-24 and FT-50 journal lists. It is widely recognized as one of the highest-level academic journals in global business schools and holds an exceptional academic reputation in the international management community. The journal is dedicated to publishing innovative, high-quality research at the intersection of information systems and management science, focusing on the significant impacts of various information systems on businesses, organizations, and society.
Author Biographies
Wang Zhongbin: Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University. He serves as Principal Investigator for the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scientist Fund project and was selected for the 8th batch of the China Association for Science and Technology Young Talent Lifting Program. He has published numerous academic papers as first author or corresponding author in UTD-24 top international journals including MS, OR, ISR, MSOM, and POM. His research interests include stochastic service operations and queueing economics. He has published the monograph Innovative Priority Mechanisms in Service Operations: Theory and Applications on queueing economics with Springer.
Guo Yanqiong: A doctoral student enrolled in the 2023 cohort at the College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University. Her main research interests include platform economics and stochastic service operations. She has participated in several projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
